Player Profile- Fred Hein

Wolverine Hockey- What do you hope to get out of your year here at Bridgton Academy?
Fred Hein- I need to work hard on my academics and get my SAT scores up. And athletically I like the fact we play about 50 games so that gives me a good amount of time to get bigger and stronger.

WH- What do you think when you hear “Bridgton Academy is a jock school”?
FH- It’s a school just like any other, a lot of the guys do play sports and we’ve got some great teams but at the end of the day we are still a school working hard on our grades too.

WH- What has surprised you about this year?
FH- That if I work hard academically I can get good grades, in high school I didn’t work as hard as I should and it showed on my report card. This year I know if I do my work I can actually earn the grades I want to get.

WH- What is your favorite class?
FH- Law and Society with Mr. Daley, It’s something different everyday, it’s a class you want to go to, he does a great job of keeping it interesting.

WH- If you could say something to yourself a year ago, go back in time sort of thing, what would it be?
FH- Work extremely hard in high school. I never realized how much academics count until this year, and the end of my senior year when I realized the importance of getting good grades and working hard.

WH- What are you learning this year?
FH- How to get my work done on time and how to manage my time better where I can get all my work done on time and still play hockey.

WH- What does it mean to be a Wolverine?
FH- Theres a lot of tradition here, Bridgton is known for having a great reputation and you wanna live up to the sort of standard set by the guys who have been here before us.

WH- What are you enjoying here at BA?
FH- Playing hockey, the team is great, its almost like playing on an all-star team. So many guys from different backgrounds from all over the country. Hockey is definitely the most enjoyable part.

WH- What do you think of the team, the level of competition?
FH- The team is great, we all come from different parts but we all became friends right away, we gelled as a team, and the competition level is amazing, and playing 50 games is a lot of fun.

WH- What do you want to do when you leave Bridgton?
FH- At some point I would love to play college hockey, its been a dream of mine for awhile, but if that means playing a year of Juniors and taking some classes somewhere first then that’s what I’ll do, it all just depends I think on how the rest of the season goes.

WH- What hockey skills do you hope to improve?
FH- My speed, speeds the name of the game, developing skills is important too but at this level everything is just so much faster so I would say improving my speed.

WH- Who are some of your role models?
FH- Theres two, one is my Dad, hes the whole reason I’m still playing hockey. He taught me everything I know, passing shooting, really just everything. And the other is one of my friends, Max Gratchev, he plays professional hockey, just got drafted by the NY Islanders, I trained with him all summer long, he helped me a lot in teaching me how to become a better player so I definitely look up to him. He’s given me the keys to success at the next level.

WH- What would you say to a future Wolverine who may be reading this?
FH- Keep your head up, make the right decisions, and make the best out of your season cause it goes by fast. Even though it’s just a saying, “The year that makes the difference” it really is true, it really does make a difference.

SCHEDULE CHANGE

The Wolverines will not be competing in the Huskies Showcase this coming weekend due to tournament format changes. However, the Wolverines will be playing the Maine Moose (IJHL) 7pm Friday December 12, 2008 at home.

Also, the Eastern Hockey Showcase, which was suppose to be held January 9 - 10, has been cancelled. The Wolverine's will head back to Burlington, VT on January 9 - 10 to play two games against the Vermont Glades. There may be a game added Sunday against the Springfield Jr Falcons in Springfield, MA. All game times are TBA.

BA Hockey Needs Extra Time to Defeat Rangers

Tom Paine scored on the power play 33 seconds into overtime to lead the Wolverines past the Boston Jr Rangers 6-5 at Bridgton Ice Arena. Eric Clemmenson paced the offense with 3 goals and Eric Siegel added 3 assists on the game.

Fred Hein put BA up just 1:27 into the game when he buried a rebound, but the Rangers would quickly tie the game and in turn score to take the lead. Clemmenson would add his first goal of the game on the power play to even the score at 2-2 before the first period ended.

Clemmenson would score his second goal just 30 seconds into the second to put the Wolverines up 3-2. The Rangers would score just as a power play ended to tie the score, but Clemmenson would strike again to put BA up 4-3 before the close of the second period.

The Rangers would bot give up as they tied the game at 4-4 on the power play, but BA would take the lead again on a power play of their own as Matt DelGiudice finished s Sean Travis rebound. Penalties would plague the Wolverines as the Rangers tied the game with 2 minutes remaining on the power play. BA would be awarded a power play with less than a minute to play, setting up Paines heroics in OT. Michael Pearless earned the win making 30 saves in the game.

Wolverines Settle for a Tie on the Road

BA hockey took to the road on SAT Saturday to play a late gane in Rockland, MA against the Boston Jr Rangers and settled for a 3-3 tie. The Rangers took the early 1-0 lead on a contoversial goal just minutes into the first period. Sean Travis got the Wolverines on the board, but the Rangers countered second later witha goal of their own to regain their lead.

Tom Paine tied the score at two in the second Period and Eric Siegel deflected Paine's shot to put the Wolverines ahead before the end of the second period. The Rangers would tie the game in the third with a power play goal of their own to finish the scoring. Steven Sisler earned the tie in net making 22 saves in the game.

The Wolverines will play the Rangers in Bridgton on Sunday at 2:00.

Wolverine Hockey Reading and Math Program

Six Wolverine Hockey Players visited Stevensbrook Elementary School to assist students with their reading and math. The program was started to allow Bridgton Academy Hockey Players to be positive role models to a small group of students from Stevensbrook Elementary School. The players usually spend an hour with each class, assisting the teacher, leading reading programs and interacting with the students.

Eric Seigel and Fred Hein spent time with Mrs. Clark's 1st grade class. Not only did Fred and Eric show the class how skilled they are at math, but they both proved to be highly entertaining readers.

Ben Pearl and Mike Pearless joined Mrs. Jones' 2nd grade class. Both Mike and Ben demonstrated their superior skill playing Subtraction Bingo. The groups were very engaged with the program.

Matt Delgiudice and Phil Baker-Coe spend their time with Mrs. Lepage's 3rd grade class. The class was broken into small reading groups. Matt and Phil worked with each group taking turns reading and discussing what they read.

Overall, it was a very exciting day for both the students and the players. The classes were given an autograph picture of each player to display in their room.

Northeast Hockey Showcase ... Day 1

The Wolverines are spending Thanksgiving Weekend at the Northeast Hockey Showcase in Tilton, NH. The tournament features 20 teams from the US and Canada, with each team playing four 30 minute mini-games. The top 8 teams will advance to the quarterfinals on Sunday.

In game 1 on Friday, BA faced the South Jersey Raptors of the IJHL. After 3 days off, BA came out a bit sluggish, but quickly began to get back to form en route to a 4-1 victory. Matt DelGiudice started the scoring midway through the first half. DJ haskins scored his 4th goal in four games to make it 2-0 at the break. BA capitalized on 2 power plays in the second half with Garret Collins and Eric Clemmenson scoring. The only disappointment was allowing a goal with less than 1 second to play. Mike Pearless picked up the victory in net making 7 saves.

In game 2, the Wolverines faced the host Tilton school and won 2-0. The entire game was a defensive chess match as the Wolverines outshot Tilton 9-7 for the game. Tom Paine scored the gamewinner with 52 seconds remaining, and Quinlan Junta added an emptynetter to seal the game. Steven Sisler made 7 saves for the win.

Day 2 features games versus Banff Academy of Alberta and Webster Academy of Quebec.

Carroll Named Captain of SNHU Hockey Team, Will Lead 5 Former Wolverines

Dave Carroll, BA Class of '05 has recently been appointed Captain of the 2008-09 Southern New Hampshire University Hockey Team. Carroll last year served as the teams Assistant Captain before receiving the honor of Captain this season. Carroll will be leading a team which has a total of six former Bridgton Academy Wolverines including himself. Joining him are Thomas Ohlson BA Class of '06, Troy Maybury '07, John DeSangro '07, and Jonathan Santos '07 and Adam Ziegler '07.

The team is off to a 2-1 start with wins over Assumption College and Western New England College and an overtime loss to Johnson & Wales University.

Congratulations to Dave and best of luck to all our former Wolverines!!

Wolverines Take Win Against Mass Maple Leafs

Bridgton Academy played its fourth game of the weekend and won in convincing fashion as the Wolverines walked away with a 6-3 advantage. Tom Paine started the scoring in the first, and Richie Asselin added a power play goal to send the game into the locker room at 2-0. Eric Clemmenson kept the scoring going as he punched in a rebound just 52 seconds into the second. DJ Haskins added his third goal of the weekend, and Eric Siegel potted one with only 17 second on the clock to finish the second period at 5-1. The Leafs would not disappear as they scored 2 goals in the first six minutes of the period to tighten the game. Nick Marshall finished the scoring with 19 seconds left in the game. Michael Pearless picked up the win for Bridgton making 22 saves in the game.

Bridgton returns to action on Friday as they search hardware in the Northeast Hockey Showcase.

Final Score:
Final Score photo taken by Joe Robichaud

Wolverines Drop Heartbeaker to Winchendon

The Winchendon School scored a shorthanded goal with 60 seconds remaining to lift the home squad to a 5-4 victory at the Winchendon Showcase. Bridgton fell behind early and was looking a. 3-0 deficit with 28 minutes remaining in the game when Eric Clemmenson broke through and put the Wolverines on the board. Matt Delgiudice scored on the power play and DJ haskins would tap in a rebound to tie the score at 3 with 15 minutes remaining. DelGiudice would score his second of the game while shorthanded to put Bridgton up 4-3 with 10 minutes remaining. Bridgton could not hold on as Winchendon tied the game with 7 minutes left and notched the gamewinner with 1 minute on the clock.

Up next...the Wolverines play Sunday at home against the Mass Maple Leafs at 2:00.

Wolverines take one from Ste.-Foye

The Wolverines played its most complete game of the season as they defeated CEGEP Ste-Foy 3-0 at the Winchendon Showcase. The Wolverines struck twice in the opening 20 minutes with goals from DJ Haskins and Alex Young. Tom Paine completed the scoring with 6 minutes remaining. Michael Pearless was perfect stopping all 26 shots he faced.

Game 2 of the showcase will feature a tough matchup with the host Winchendon.

New England Stars take down Wolverines

The New England Stars of the IJHL put their 22-2-1 record on the line as they ventured to Bridgton and came away with a 5-1 victory dropping the Wolverines to 2-9 on the season. Special teams was the name of the game as the Stars scored 3 goals on the power play and 1 while shorthanded. Goaltending was strong for the visitors as Bridgton outshot the Stars 45-25 on the game. Eric Siegel scored the lone goal for Bridgton Academy.

The Wolverines head to the Winchendon School for two games. Game 1 features CEGEP Ste.-Foy, and Game 2 will be against the host school.

Wolverines Fall Short Against Phillips Exeter

A second period lapse proved to be all Phillips Exeter needed to hand Bridgton Academy a 4-3 loss on the road. The Wolverines played strong in the first with Tom Paine scoring midway through to send the game to the locker room with Bridgton up 1-0. Exeter would come out hungry building a 3-1 lead before Eric Clemmenson would cut the lead to 3-2. Exeter would score its fourth goal of the period with 0.3 seconds on the clock to extend its lead to 4-2. Paul Tosto cut the score again, but Bridgton could not find the net despite numerous chances. Steven Sisler played well making 28 saves. The loss drops the Wolverines to 2-8 on the season.

The Wolverines are in action 4 times next weekend. Friday, Bridgton hosts the NE Stars at 7:00. Saturday, Bridgton heads to the Winchendon Showcase where they will play CEGEP Ste. Foy at 1:00 and Winchendon at 4:30. Sunday, the Wolverines return home to play the Mass Maple Leafs at 2:00.

WOLVERINES VISIT STEVENSBROOK ELEMENTARY

Mrs. Clark's First Grade Class received a surprise visit from Bridgton Academy Hockey Captain Sean Travis and Forward Eric Clemmenson. The visit started with both Sean and Eric working with multiple groups who were completing both arts and crafts and math. Sean and Eric noted how impressed they were with the kids focus and overall motivation during completion of these assignments.

During the second part of the visit, Mrs. Clark divided the class into two groups for snack time. During this time, Sean and Eric read two stories and interacted with the kids. Sean read a story about a colorful monkey. Both Sean and the monkey were a huge hit with the group. Eric in the meantime, sat comfortably in a rocking chair and read a story about a stuffed bear. Coach Meserve noted, "I was surprise how attentive the groups were. Sean and Eric have a knack for working with kids."

Finally, Coach Meserve brought out a surprise for the class. Each student received a Bridgton Academy Autograph Roster. Sean and Eric worked their way around the room signing each students sheet. Additionally, the class was presented with two autographed photos of each player for all their hard work.

"Overall, it was a great experience to see our players interacting with the students. The students really looked up to Sean and Eric and were very excited to have them in their class" said Assistant Coach Mike Meserve.

Wolverine Hockey Defeats NSA 5-2

The Bridgton Academy hockey team snapped its 5 game losing streak by defeating the National Sports Academy 5-2 on Sunday. Sean Travis paced the offense with 2 goals and Eric Siegel added 3 helpers in the game. The key point in the game was the second period. With the score tied at 1-1, BA returned to the locker room with a 4-1 lead.

The Wolverines will spend time in Vermont this coming weekend as they play two games at the University of Vermont against the Green Mountain Glades of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

Special Teams are the Difference Against Bulldogs

Wolverine hockey took its game to the University of Southern Maine to take on the Boston Bulldogs, and he Bulldogs power play proved to be the difference in the gam as Bridgton fell to 1-5 with a 6-2 loss. The Boston Bulldogs scored on 4 of their 8 power plays while the Wolverines continue to struggle on their own. The game was evenly matched as both teams traded scoring opportunities throughout. However, the Bulldogs had much more success in finishing their chances. Tom Paine (Superior, WI/Duluth-Marshall HS) scored both Bridgton Academy goals in the third period.

Northwood Too Much for Wolverines

It was the tale of two teams as the Wolverines played some of their best and worst hockey while losing to Northwood 6-1. The first half of the 2-25 minute half showcase format was some of the best 25 minutes the team had played all year. The score at the end of the first half was even at 1, and shots were even at 10 each.

Something changed during the ice make as the second half would feature a Bridgton team that had not been seen before. Losing battles for loose pucks and bad turnovers characterized the Wolverine play. As a result, the Wolverines relinquished 5 goals in 25 minutes while being outshot 23-5.

Bridgton will get back to the ice on Saturday to talke ont the NJ Hitmen, the reigning champions and current first place team in the EJHL.

Wolverines Drop Game 2 with Monarchs

After a disappointing finish to game 1 of the weekend series, the Bridgton Academy hockey team came out with something to prove, and although the performance was night and day from Friday, the result was a 4-0 loss to the NH Monarchs. From the opening draw the Wolverines had the Monarchs pinned in their own end, but the inability to capitalize on that pressure proved to be the difference in the game as the Monarchs slowly pulled away. Penalties also proved to be a problem as the Monarchs scored a power play goal in the second to go up 2-0 and scored two power play goals in the late stages of the third to put the game away. Bridgton Academy will be in action this weekend at the Beantown Classic held at The Rinks at Exeter in Exeter, NH. Bridgton faces the Northwood School at 1:40 on Friday and the NJ Hitmen (2008 EJHL Champions) at 1:50 on Saturday.

Bridgton Hockey Falls to Monarchs

The Bridgton Academy hockey team faced one of its toughest challenges as they traveled to Hooksett, NH to take on the two time Tier III Junior A National Champion NH Jr. Monarchs. The Wolverines were handed a disappointing defeat 9-0. Bridgton looked strong in the opening period trading scoring opportunities with the Monarchs, but gave up 2 goals less than a minute apart in the middle portion of the period. Bridgton had ample opportunity to tie the game but could not find the back of the net. The second period saw more of the same as Bridgton could not get on the board. Trailing 3-0 with 5 minutes remaining in the second, the Monarchs exploded for 3 goals to ice the game. The third saw uninspired play from Bridgton, which only lead to more separation on the scoreboard.

The Wolverines travel back to Hooksett for game 2 of the weekend series on Saturday.

More images from Mass Mariners game